1. Description Tagul is a word cloud creation program that is fun and fairly easy to use. The website is uncluttered and this is a reflection of its product. Tagul offers users the opportunity to create clouds of different shapes, such as animals, people, globes and more. The orientation of the text can be altered to create different angles. Users can uncheck words that they do not want to include in their cloud and add and change words as they go. Creating and editing a cloud requires a click of the visualize button.
Users can also change the color of the text and use the mouse-over to animate the cloud. Although this is called a word cloud the creations could serve many different purposes. One can see teachers using Tagul for students to brainstorm ideas or as an icebreaker at the beginning of the school years.The font can be set for every word which means that a user can choose to emphasize certain words by enlarging the font and choosing a prominent color. Thus if a student wanted to highlight a particular word or phrase he could use a large font to make it pop out of the image. A teacher using Tagul on an ActiveBoard can use these features to stress important vocabulary in a fun and maybe memorable way.
Users can log into Tagul via Google, FaceBook, and Twitter. To create a Word Cloud they have go to “create a word cloud”. The project starts with two words in the word list “word” and “cloud” which can be deleted. Users can import a list of words from another source or enter a URL and Tagul populates the word bank with terms from the website. This means that students are not limited to inputting single words, but can or example upload poems, formulas, and any content that can be cut and pasted.
Additionally, users are able to upload their own image, including pictures, to create their own word cloud. This is a feature that allows for artistic creations beyond the traditional word clouds and would be great fun for students. When a user creates the cloud they can link the words to a site, the default one is a Tagul gift site. The Tagul forum is moderated by its creator who tries to make improvements based on user feedback. There is some allusion to Tagul words automatically linking to the google dictionary, but I have not been able to do this and others have had the same problem. Currently Tagul word clouds cannot be embedded into webgapes. The free Tagul account allows users to create up to 20 word clouds.
2. Screen shot
3. Possible uses in the classroom including grade level relevancy, evaluation of the ease and probability of use Tagul can be used at any grade level and is especially a fun tool for grade K-12. Students can create word clouds in whatever shape they desire to practice spelling, math concepts, formulas, etc. It is also a great brainstorming tool that can serve as an icebreaker as students get to know each other.
There is a very high probability of teachers using Tagul in the classroom. Its compatibility to various operating systems, its simple design, and ease of use makes it suitable for younger and older students. My 8-yer old son tested this product for me and had no problems figuring it out on his own. He loved it and surprised his teacher with a Tagul word cloud for his spelling and vocabulary homework.
4. Possible uses with diverse learners Tagul allows users to create word clouds of different shape that may be three-dimensional. Creating Tagul clouds would be fun and rewarding for visual learners. Since users are able to upload theiir own shapes and even use pictures, kinesthetic learners may choose to upload images that satisfy their needs. Additionally, word clouds can be a helpful tool for students with disabilities that make it difficult for them to write notes. Instead of writing they can create a word cloud to brainstorm their thoughts and start coalescing ideas from there.
Tagul is a word cloud creation program that is fun and fairly easy to use. The website is uncluttered and this is a reflection of its product. Tagul offers users the opportunity to create clouds of different shapes, such as animals, people, globes and more. The orientation of the text can be altered to create different angles. Users can uncheck words that they do not want to include in their cloud and add and change words as they go. Creating and editing a cloud requires a click of the visualize button.
Users can also change the color of the text and use the mouse-over to animate the cloud. Although this is called a word cloud the creations could serve many different purposes. One can see teachers using Tagul for students to brainstorm ideas or as an icebreaker at the beginning of the school years.The font can be set for every word which means that a user can choose to emphasize certain words by enlarging the font and choosing a prominent color. Thus if a student wanted to highlight a particular word or phrase he could use a large font to make it pop out of the image. A teacher using Tagul on an ActiveBoard can use these features to stress important vocabulary in a fun and maybe memorable way.
Users can log into Tagul via Google, FaceBook, and Twitter. To create a Word Cloud they have go to “create a word cloud”. The project starts with two words in the word list “word” and “cloud” which can be deleted. Users can import a list of words from another source or enter a URL and Tagul populates the word bank with terms from the website. This means that students are not limited to inputting single words, but can or example upload poems, formulas, and any content that can be cut and pasted.
Additionally, users are able to upload their own image, including pictures, to create their own word cloud. This is a feature that allows for artistic creations beyond the traditional word clouds and would be great fun for students. When a user creates the cloud they can link the words to a site, the default one is a Tagul gift site. The Tagul forum is moderated by its creator who tries to make improvements based on user feedback. There is some allusion to Tagul words automatically linking to the google dictionary, but I have not been able to do this and others have had the same problem. Currently Tagul word clouds cannot be embedded into webgapes. The free Tagul account allows users to create up to 20 word clouds.
2. Screen shot
3. Possible uses in the classroom including grade level relevancy, evaluation of the ease and probability of use
Tagul can be used at any grade level and is especially a fun tool for grade K-12. Students can create word clouds in whatever shape they desire to practice spelling, math concepts, formulas, etc. It is also a great brainstorming tool that can serve as an icebreaker as students get to know each other.
There is a very high probability of teachers using Tagul in the classroom. Its compatibility to various operating systems, its simple design, and ease of use makes it suitable for younger and older students. My 8-yer old son tested this product for me and had no problems figuring it out on his own. He loved it and surprised his teacher with a Tagul word cloud for his spelling and vocabulary homework.
4. Possible uses with diverse learners
Tagul allows users to create word clouds of different shape that may be three-dimensional. Creating Tagul clouds would be fun and rewarding for visual learners. Since users are able to upload theiir own shapes and even use pictures, kinesthetic learners may choose to upload images that satisfy their needs. Additionally, word clouds can be a helpful tool for students with disabilities that make it difficult for them to write notes. Instead of writing they can create a word cloud to brainstorm their thoughts and start coalescing ideas from there.
5. A sample work and/or a tutorial/video